Sushi Encyclopdeia – The Ultimate Information Source for Sushi

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish which is usually made with vinegar rice, nori sheet (seaweed) and different fillings (usually seafood) and toppings. It is considered to be one of the world’s tastiest foods. Chefs, all over the world experiment with this recipe to create new and exotic sushi flavors every day.

The exact date of the invention of sushi is not known but it is said to be originated in 718 in Japan where it was made by fermenting rice with fish. However, over the course of centuries it went through a lot of changes, in taste and appearance both and finally by the 19th century it developed into the sushi that we know and love.

There’s a famous misconception that all sushi is made with raw fish folded in seaweed; which obviously is not true. Sushi is made with a variety of fillings including fish, seafood, different vegetables and sometimes even tropical fruits.

There are many types of sushi that doesn’t even have any raw fish in it. For example, California Roll, Boston Sushi Roll etc. So many variations are being made in the sushi recipe every day that now there’s at least type of sushi for everyone. So you don’t like raw fish? No problem. Don’t like fish at all? No problem. Don’t like seaweed? You can have one without it. Even vegetarian sushi is a thing these days.

Types of Sushi:

While we are at it, let me clarify one more thing. These variations in the recipe of modern sushi are basically sub-branches of different type sushi. They are quite different from the traditional sushi served in Japan. Primarily, there are only 5 different types of traditional sushi that you need to know before you enter this world of deliciousness:

Difference between Sushi and Sashimi:

Maki is what people usually think sushi is; seafood fillings rolled with vinegar rice and seaweed. Uramaki is like California roll where seaweed is inside the roll and Temaki is a cone-shaped sushi. Maki, Uramaki, and temaki are considered to be actual sushi with all the important ingredients just different techniques. Sashimi, however, is served alone, without rice and seaweed. It can be fish, shellfish or other seafood, e.g. eel. Mostly, Sashimi is served raw but it can also be served cooked.

Types of Sushi Roll (Maki and Uramaki):

California Roll:

California Roll might be the most famous type of sushi roll in the west.

It was specially designed according to the western taste. For example, because they don’t like seaweed, the roll was wrapped inside out to hide it. It also doesn’t have any raw fish.

There a lot of sushi out there that uses the same style but a slightly different recipe. For example, Boston Sushi Roll and rainbow roll etc. [Read more about California Roll here]

Dragon Roll:

The dragon roll is a very popular sushi recipe in Japan. It is usually a thick, an inside-out sushi roll.

In the actual recipe, the dragon roll is filled with grilled eel and cucumber folded inside a layer of avocado; representing the scales of a dragon.

However, nowadays a lot of variations have been made into the recipe and now dragon rolls can be found in many different colors with a variety of fillings and toppings.

Among them, the most famous filling in the west is shrimp tempura with colorful toppings such as pepper tuna and smoked steelhead salmon etc; making the dragon even more colorful. [Read more about Dragon Roll here]

Vegetarian Sushi Roll:

There are many types of Vegetarian sushi rolls present in sushi industry made with a vast variety of ingredients including creamy avocado, carrots, and crunchy cucumber. However, most people believe that a vegetarian sushi roll cannot have enough flavors because of the lack of meat. However, Chefs use two secret ingredients that make this sushi as delicious as any other: Umeboshi paste and Gomasio. Umeboshi paste is a pickled and pureed version of Japanese plums that adds a very strong savory flavor to the dish and Gomasio is sesame salt which gives it a roasted and nutty flavor. Vegetarian sushi is sometimes so good that it can even make you forget seafood for a minute.